to the robot’s chassis through
screws or welded joints, these types
of wedges are generally more
durable and less likely to be torn off
of the robot. Shock mounting fixed
wedges has also become popular in
the 12 pound and up weight classes.
This process involves mounting the
wedge to the robot’s chassis
through rubber sandwich mounts.
This isolates the robot’s chassis from
shock and allows the wedge to take
more of the impact from the blows.

Beyond the way the wedge is
mounted, there are two final variables I’m going to mention: angle
and material. Both of these aspects
go hand in hand. A wedge can
serve different purposes, depending
on the angle. A shallower wedge
can slide under spinners and other
robots with ease, and hits from the

FIGURE 6. Antweight “Misdirected
Pedestrian’s” steep anti-spinner lifting wedge
plow shows how wedges can be used
effectively in other designs. This robot’s wedge
plow takes about 95% of spinner hits directed
at the robot, and only a few small scratches
can be seen on the rest of the robot’s body.

aforementioned spinner will simply
bounce off of the wedge because
of the shallow angle. Wedges with
steeper angles are meant to be
much more of an attack method
against spinners. Instead of sliding
under the weapons, the objective is
normally to simply slam into the
weapons and have them bounce off
in a dramatic manner — possibly
causing damage to the spinner
instead of its intended target.

As stated previously, the
thickness needed for the wedge’s
material is directly proportional to
the angle of the wedge. A shallow
wedge that is designed to simply
slide under an opponent will take
many less solid hits than one
intended for use as a much more
offensive wedge with a steep angle.
Thus, the steeper wedge would
require much less thickness from the
same material.

In conclusion, I’d like to say this
— I hate slow, boring wedges —
even the brightly colored ones —
just as much as everyone else, but

contrary to what it may seem, there
are a good amount of fast wedges
that can be just as exciting as any
good spinner. I know this for a fact,
as I personally own one that has
actually damaged the arena and
disabled spinner’s weapons on
occasion.

If you still think that wedges
are bad for the sport, why not add
something else to the table?
Wedges can be effective with
clamping arms, lifters, and spinning
weapons mounted to the robot,
usually in which case the wedge will
help lead the opponent up to the
weapons. Also (as stated earlier in
this writing), wedges always make
an effective backup weapon when
constructed reliably. When your
robot’s main weapon fails during a
fight, it’s much more effective to be
able to get under the opponent and
bully them around as opposed to
simple pushing.

Finally, I’d like to note one tip
that’s constantly overlooked by
many builders of dragging wedges
— Sharpen your wedge and do your
best to get it as close to the ground
as possible! The robot with the
lowest wedge always wins ... at
least in wedge fighting. SV

MAN UFACTUR IN G:

Attaching Wheels to Your

Rob t’s Drill Motors

Drill motors are often used in 12
and 30 lb robots. One of the
hard parts about using them is
finding a way to attach a wheel,
since the shaft is threaded and uses
a lefthanded screw to keep the
chuck from coming off. Here, I will
show you a simple way to make
press fit hubs to mount Colson
wheels to your drills.

● by Ken Brandon

You will need a 0.75” diameter
aluminum stock, as well as a lathe,
3/8”- 24 tap, Q size drill bit (0.332”),
and a 0.25”
drill bit.

• STEP 1:
Chuck the
stock in the
lathe chuck,

leaving 1.25” or so exposed. Then,
mount a left-handed cutting tool
into the tool holder.

• STEP 2: Turn
on the lathe
and begin
removing
metal to 1”
from the end